40 Yards And A Pile Of What

So I watched more of this, um, event this year than any point in my life -- ten minutes while on a treadmill at my gym on Saturday, and there was literally not another thing on. In that time, I saw:

1) Jeff Saturday say nothing of any real consequence as the panel discussed Peyton Manning's 2012 plans, which might have been illuminating had one of the panel been, well, Peyton Manning or someone from the Colts management, and had sodium pentathol been administered

2) Offensive lineman run in a straight line for 40 yards, which is to say, something they might get to do a few times a game for no real purpose, unless you like running them out there on special teams

3) Civilians run in a straight line for 40 yards, cause that's, um, fun, at least in comparison with the rest of the programming

4) Tight ends run in a straight line for 40 yards, which is a little more helpful, unless you'd like to see how fast they'd do it in pads, with someone trying to impede their progress, or with a rudimentary concept of route-running or hands, and

5) A long discussion of which tight ends ran which speed in past years, all of which was more or less eradicated from relevance by the fact that Rob Gronkowski didn't, well, work out at the damn thing due to injury.

I get that some folks miss football, need football, can't stand that it goes away for 6+ months a year.

But you are watching men run in a straight line for 40 yards. Which is about as far away from football, as well, basketball. Or spring training baseball. Or watching paint dry. All for the joy of being able to say that you saw that guy at the Combine, and you knew, oh yes you did, that he was going to be The One.

From running 40 yards in a straight line.

Seriously.

People watch this?